Macedonia attacks rebel bases

Ethnic Albanians evacuated from rebel-held Slupcane sit in a Red Cross vehicle

SKOPJE, Macedonia -- The latest offensive by Macedonian forces against ethnic Albanian rebels has claimed the lives of seven civilians and wounded at least five others, a rebel commander has said.

Six members of the same family were killed when a shell pierced the concrete roof of a basement in which they were sheltering in the village of Slupcane, a key army target, Commander Sokoli told the Reuters news agency.

The reported casualties came as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's army launched its most serious attempt in more than three weeks of fighting to dislodge ethnic Albanian guerrillas from northeastern mountain villages.

Army spokesman Colonel Blagoja Markovski told Reuters: "Today at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) the army took offensive measures with the goal of surrounding villages, isolating and dispersing the terrorists from this area."

Sokoli said one man had been killed by shellfire in the nearby village of Orizare, which is also in guerrilla hands.

VIDEO CNN's Stephanie Halasz has more on the continuing Balkan conflict (May 24) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    IN-DEPTH Macedonia: Hurdles to peace   •  Balkan hotspots   •  Interactive map   •  Macedonia's military   •  News search   •  Audio/video archive   •  In-Depth: Yugoslavia   •  In-Depth: Kosovo

Sokoli named all seven dead and provided their ages. Six of those killed and four of the wounded were all members of the Zymberi family, he said.

“I have not seen them myself. But our medical team and military police and those who were wounded in the same attack have confirmed their deaths to me," he said on Thursday.

The fighting between the government and the rebels first erupted in February, with guerrillas launching an offensive to secure more rights for ethnic Albanians, who make up a third of Macedonia's population.

The Macedonian government initially threatened to "eliminate" the rebels unless they accepted a deadline last week to give up their armed struggle for more rights.

But under intense pressure from the West, the government later promised restraint.

Shelling began on Thursday directed at guerrilla positions in the villages of Orizare, Slupcane and Vakcince.

Three army tanks appeared on the slopes overlooking Vakcince and a combat helicopter attacked targets across the ridge in the vicinity of Slupcane.

Reporters could clearly see sporadic return fire from the National Liberation Army guerrillas, according to Reuters.

At least 1,000 ethnic Albanians civilians are still living in the northern villages where rebels have dug in, many of them short of food and water, Defence Ministry spokesman Gjorgji Trendafilov said.

Independent assessments indicate some support the guerrillas, while others are afraid to leave their homes and be branded as traitors by either side.

"This is the fiercest shelling we have withstood so far. We have unconfirmed reports that shells have hit the shelters," a guerrilla called Shpati told Reuters.

He said the guerrillas were pinned down for the moment but there would be no retreat. He denied the army had advanced on guerrilla positions.

"I think they have decided that this is their final offensive. Our orders are to defend our positions and not leave the population to the mercy of fate," Shpati said.

Western powers have urged Macedonia to act with restraint, fearing an all-out assault could cost heavy civilian casualties.

Western officials also fear that full-scale warfare in Macedonia could engulf the whole Balkans. As a result, Macedonia's political parties, including the ethnic Albanians, recently formed a unity government to seek a political solution.